Colorado Supreme Court bars Donald Trump from running for president
By a margin of just one vote, the Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that Donald Trump should be ineligible to run for president in 2024 and removed from the state’s ballot in the upcoming primary.
The ruling is based on a provision of the U.S. Constitution. Section three of the 14th Amendment prohibits those who participated in the “rebellion” from holding office. And Donald Trump became the first presidential candidate in history to be disqualified precisely because of this rule.
“It has not been easy for us to reach these conclusions. We are mindful of the magnitude and importance of the issues now before us. We are also mindful of our sacred duty to apply the law without fear or prejudice, and not to be influenced by public reaction to the decisions we make under the law,” the Colorado Supreme Court said in its decision.
The Colorado court explained its decision by explaining Donald Trump’s role in inciting violence at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The former president himself spoke to his supporters in Iowa during the verdict. He called the court’s decision unfair. And blamed it on his main Democratic opponent.
“No wonder dishonest Joe Biden and the extreme leftist lunatics are desperate to stop us by any means necessary. They are willing to violate the Constitution at an unprecedented level just to win this election. Joe Biden is a threat to democracy. He is a threat. They are using law enforcement as a weapon to interfere in elections at the highest level because we are beating them so badly in the polls,” Donald Trump said.
Trump’s campaign team has already announced it will appeal the case to the Supreme Court, calling the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision “incorrect” and “undemocratic.” And some of the former president’s associates and his own rivals in the primaries, have suggested boycotting the Colorado midterm elections.
“I pledge to refuse to participate in the Republican Party primary in Colorado until Trump’s name is restored,” said Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican candidate, “And I demand that Ron Desantis, Chris Christie and Nikki Haley do the same, or else these Republicans will simply be complicit in this unconstitutional attack. And I refuse to be complicit in that.”
Richard Painter, former head of the White House ethics office, told Voice of America that in his opinion, the Colorado court’s decision does not violate the U.S. Constitution. However, the Supreme Court may have a different opinion.
“The Supreme Court could overturn the Colorado Supreme Court decision. And say, we don’t agree that this is a reasonable interpretation of section number three and Donald Trump stays on the Colorado ballot,” Painter says, “The Supreme Court could go the other direction and say that this is not the only reason to interpret section three and that they are correcting the interpretation and Donald Trump can be voted for in all 50 states. And third: The United States Supreme Court could rule that each state chooses the best solution for itself.”
But history professor Adrian Lenz-Smith doesn’t believe the Supreme Court of America will uphold the Colorado court’s decision. After all, Trump was never convicted for the events of Jan. 6.
“In some ways, it’s a pretty compelling argument that a man who instigated an uprising against the United States should not be allowed to run for president of the United States. Yet his lawyers insist: he has not been convicted,” Lenz-Smith said.
Colorado became the first state to rule against Trump. Previously, similar lawsuits were filed in the states of Minnesota, Michigan and New Hampshire, but failed. Now it’s up to the U.S. Supreme Court, where conservatives have a strong majority, including three justices appointed by Trump. The court is expected to announce its verdict by January 5.
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